Shale drilling could jump in 2014 in Miss., La.

Believing it's found the recipe, Goodrich is making a big bet on the formation. It spent $27 million to acquire leases held by Devon Energy Corp. mostly in Louisiana's Tangipahoa, St. Helena and East Feliciana parishes and now plans $300 million in drilling in 2014 in Louisiana and Mississippi. Encana plans $200 million to $300 million in work on its leases, which are more concentrated in Mississippi. Others are making investments as well, with Houston-based Halcon Resources announcing Wednesday that it had acquired 307,000 acres and plans to drill 10 to 12 wells in the region this year.

Another key to making the area more lucrative will be driving down the price of drilling, which has been costing $12 million or more per well. Industry leaders say they can cut the cost to around $7 million a well by drilling more quickly and drilling multiple wells from one pad.

Anderson, one of the locals who signed a lease with an energy company, said the money he's received has changed his outlook on work.

"Now I don't think about having to go back to work. This is my work. I maintain the property," he said of his 500-plus acres. "I watch after the timber and I feed the deer and the turkeys, and that's what I do for a living now."